Abstract Detail

Leontopodium coreanum Nakai (Asteraceae) that is a Korean endemic species has restrictively distributed at Mt. Kumkangsan and Mt. Hallasan in Korea. This species has reported as a controversial taxon of genus Leontopodium in Korea. Some morphological characters such as involucre, fertile and sterile achenes of L. coreanum including syntypes (T. Nakai no. 5914, 1915, 1916) and its related taxa were examined by scanning electron microscopy to verify the taxonomic identity of L. coreanum Nakai. L. leiopis, a Korean endemic species, is distinct from other taxa because there is no vestiture (i.e. villous) on the involucres. Furthermore, Being trichome on the ovary of the marginal female flowers and sterile disk flowers distinguishs sharply between L. discolor and L. fauriei. However L. coreanum that has treated as a synonym of L. discolor without study and L. japonicum have villous and unicellular hair on the involucres and on the ovary of marginal and disk flowers. This current study suggests that L. coreanum isnít very similar to L. discolor but should be recognized as synonym of L. japonicum base on the SEM. In geographical distribution, L. japonicum is mainly distributed at the high mountains in the Korean, China and Japan. In addition, there are some varieties and forma within the L. japonicum.